Floating solar energy conversion and water distillation apparatus

Abstract

A solar energy conversion and distillation apparatus floats on a body of saltwater and includes a matrix of buoyant distillation modules that produce and collect distilled water for on-shore usage. The distillation modules and other buoyant structures are mutually joined within a peripheral seawall to form an atmospheric barrier, and each distillation module includes a submerged energy absorber layer to form an energy conversion chamber that confines a shallow volume of solar-heated seawater. Water vapor in the air above the confined water condenses on chilled heat exchanger conduits, and the energy absorber layer is water permeable so that confined water lost to evaporation and condensation is replenished with water from a thermal reservoir underlying the energy conversion chamber. Buoyant mistifier units in each distillation module enhance the evaporative surface area of the water vapor subject to condensation.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A solar energy water distillation apparatus floating on a body of seawater, comprising:
 a buoyant peripheral seawall; 
 an array of buoyant structures mutually joined within said buoyant peripheral seawall to form an atmospheric barrier, the buoyant structures including a distributed array of distillation modules for producing and collecting distilled water for on-shore usage, each such distillation module including a buoyant base, a domed solar collector mounted on said buoyant base, a submerged energy absorber layer affixed to said buoyant base to define a chamber, a shallow volume of solar-heated seawater confined in said chamber, a network of chilled heat exchanger conduits disposed in said chamber on which water vapor in the air above the confined water condenses, and a set of troughs for collecting the condensate for removal and delivery to a condensate storage vessel; and 
 at least one buoyant mistifier unit in each distillation module for enhancing an evaporative surface area of the water vapor therein and increasing condensate formation on said chilled heat exchanger conduits, where said mistifier unit floats on said shallow volume of solar-heated seawater, and said mistifier unit includes a spinning disk and seawater delivery means for directing a stream of the solar-heated seawater onto said spinning disk, where said spinning disk of said mistifier unit is disposed above and substantially parallel to an upper surface of said solar-heated seawater and said seawater delivery means includes a nozzle disposed above said spinning disk through which said stream of said solar-heated seawater is directed onto said spinning disk. 
 
     
     
       2. The solar energy water distillation apparatus of  claim 1 , where:
 said peripheral seawall extends below the buoyant bases of said distillation modules to define a thermal reservoir beneath said chamber; and 
 said energy absorber layer is light impermeable but water permeable so that seawater from the thermal reservoir passes through the energy absorber layer and into said chamber to replace water lost to evaporation and condensation within said chamber. 
 
     
     
       3. The solar energy water distillation apparatus of  claim 1 , where:
 said peripheral seawall extends below the buoyant bases of said distillation modules to define a thermal reservoir beneath said chambers; and 
 a network of submerged heat exchanger conduits is connected to each network of chilled heat exchanger conduits for transferring a heat of condensation of said water vapor to seawater in said thermal reservoir. 
 
     
     
       4. The solar energy water distillation apparatus of  claim 1 , where:
 multiple mistifier units are disposed in each distillation module. 
 
     
     
       5. The solar energy water distillation apparatus of  claim 1 , where:
 said at least one buoyant mistifier unit is tethered to said submerged energy absorber layer. 
 
     
     
       6. A solar energy water distillation apparatus floating on a body of seawater, comprising:
 an array of buoyant structures mutually joined within a buoyant peripheral seawall to form an atmospheric barrier, the buoyant structures including a distributed array of distillation modules for producing and collecting distilled water for on-shore usage, each such distillation module including a domed solar collector mounted on a buoyant base, a submerged energy absorber layer affixed to said buoyant base to define a chamber in which a shallow volume of solar-heated seawater is confined, a network of chilled heat exchanger conduits disposed in said chamber on which water vapor in the air above the confined water condenses, and a set of troughs for collecting the condensate for removal and delivery to a condensate storage vessel; and 
 one or more buoyant mistifier units floating on the solar-heated seawater confined in the chamber of each distillation module for atomizing a portion of said solar-heated seawater to enhance an evaporative surface area of the water vapor therein and increase condensate formation on said chilled heat exchanger conduits, where said mistifier units each include a spinning disk disposed above and substantially parallel to a surface of said solar-heated seawater and a nozzle disposed above said spinning disk through which a stream of said solar-heated seawater is directed onto an upper surface of said spinning disk, and where said spinning disk is slightly concave so that the solar-heated seawater directed onto the upper surface of said disk is directed laterally outward in a shallow upward arc. 
 
     
     
       7. A solar energy water distillation apparatus floating on a body of seawater, comprising:
 an array of buoyant structures mutually joined within a buoyant peripheral seawall to form an atmospheric barrier, the buoyant structures including a distributed array of distillation modules for producing and collecting distilled water for on-shore usage, each such distillation module including a domed solar collector mounted on a buoyant base, a submerged energy absorber layer affixed to said buoyant base to define a chamber in which a shallow volume of solar-heated seawater is confined, a network of chilled heat exchanger conduits disposed in said chamber on which water vapor in the air above the confined water condenses, and a set of troughs for collecting the condensate for removal and delivery to a condensate storage vessel; and 
 one or more buoyant mistifier units floating on the solar-heated seawater confined in the chamber of each distillation module for atomizing a portion of said solar-heated seawater to enhance an evaporative surface area of the water vapor therein and increase condensate formation on said chilled heat exchanger conduits, where said mistifier units each include a spinning disk disposed above and substantially parallel to a surface of said solar-heated seawater and a nozzle disposed above said spinning disk through which a stream of said solar-heated seawater is directed onto an upper surface of said spinning disk, and where said mistifier units include a buoyant platform, a motor mounted on said buoyant platform for driving said spinning disk, and a pump mounted on said buoyant platform for delivering said solar-heated seawater to said nozzle via a set of vertical pipes.